Standardized ISIS Detention

Procedures: Structured Brutality,

Battlefield Adaptability
july 22, 2015

Islamic State Detainees

Overthepastseveralmonths,theSyriaJusticeandAccountability
Centres(SJAC)DocumentationTeaminTurkeyhasworkedto
documentdetentioncentersrunbytheIslamicStateofIraqandal
Sham(ISIS).TheTeaminterviewedfourformerISISdetaineesand
gatheredinformationonISISdetentionconditionsandprocedures.
AlthoughthebasesforISISdetentionsappearnottobeuniform,ISIS
detentionpracticesseemtohavedevelopedintostandardized
procedures.SJAChassummarizedandanalyzedseveralofthetrends
thatcanbegatheredfromtheintervieweesexperiencesandtheir
descriptionsofwhatotherdetaineesenduredorreported.
MethodofDetention

Accordingtointerviewees,ISISgenerallydetainsprisoners
collectively.Upto50ISISfightersatatimegatherthedetaineesin
largenumberswiththeireyesblindfoldedandtheirarmstiedbehind
theirbacks.TheintervieweessaidtheywerepickedupbyISIS
fightersinanentourageof11to15pickuptrucksbearingtheISIS
logo.AmongtheformerdetaineesthatSJACinterviewed,three
identifiedtheirarrestorsasfamiliarmenfromtheirhometown,some
ofwhomwereascloseasnextdoorneighbors.Afterthemassarrests,
theISISfighterstakethedetaineestolocalschoolsthatISIShas
convertedintotemporarydetentioncenters.Onceallthearrestsquads
gatherthedetaineesintheschool,theythenmovethedetaineesto
isolatedlocations,suchasfarmhousesinruralareas,aprocesswhich
cantakeseveraldays.Ifthechosenlocationsareinhabited,ISISmen
forciblyremovetheresidentstoclearthebuildingsfortheirdetainees.
Duringthistime,thedetaineesreceivenocommunicationofthe
reasonsfortheirarrest.
UponArrivaltotheDetentionCenters
Theconvertedfarmhousesserveastheinterrogationsites.Upon
arrival,thedetaineesaregreetedasagroupbytwomen,aSyrianand
anIraqi.TheSyriancollectstheinmatesbelongingsandconfiscates
anyweapons.TheIraqiisresponsibleforinitialinterrogations,which
areconductedwhilethedetaineesarestillinagroup,todeterminethe
chargesandrespectivefateofeachdetainee.Oneinterviewee
recountedapowerstruggleinwhichtheSyrianattemptedto
interrogatethedetaineesbuttheIraqipushedbackagainsthis
overreachofauthority.

Followingtheinterrogation,theguardsseparatethedetaineesintotwo
smallergroups.Thefirstgroupconsistsofdetaineesaccusedofminor
crimes,suchasworkingfornongovernmentalrelieforganizations,
smoking,and,insomecases,nochargewhatsoever.Thesedetainees
remaininSyriaandareusuallysettobereleasedwithinashortperiod
oftime.Thesecondgroupofdetaineesarethoseaccusedofmajor
crimes,suchasmembershipintheFreeSyrianArmy(FSA)or
relationshipwithnonISISmediagroups.Thoseaccusedofmajor
crimesaretransportedwithcaution(toavoiddetectionandcoalition
airstrikes)toIraqforlongertermdetention.
DetentionConditions
Foreachdetaineeaccusedofaminorcrime,ISIScreatesafilewith
thedetaineesname,surname,occupation,birthdate,andpersonal
phototokeeparecordincasethedetaineeisarrestedagaininthe
future.Meanwhile,ISISguardsmovethedetaineesaccusedofmajor
crimesinafleetofcarstoIraq,changingdriversperiodicallyalong
theway.Attheendofthejourney,thedetaineesareplacedinprisons
intheISIScontrolledtownofAlQaimwhereISISmaintains
numeroushideoutfacilitiestoavoidcoalitionairstrikes.One
intervieweedescribedtheIraqiprisonsascaravanswhichare
regularlymovedtoavoiddiscovery.Thecaravanconsistsofabout
threecellseightsquaremetersinsizewithbetween10to20prisoners
ineachcell.Duringairstrikes,thedetaineesaremovedtoother
facilitiesthathavenotyetbeendiscoveredbythecoalitionwhere
moreprisonersareconfinedtoeachcell.

TheformerdetaineesaccusedofminorcrimestoldSJACthattheyhad
beenservedtwomealsaday.Water,however,wasscarceandno
showerswereallowed.ISISevenrestrictedablutionforprayersto
onlytwiceaday.Prisonersaccusedofmajorcrimeshadmorelimited
accesstofoodandwater,withonlyoneservingoffoodaday.One
intervieweeaccusedofamajorcrimeinformedSJACthatISISguards
hadrefusedhimwaterwhenitwastimetobreakthedaysfastduring
Ramadanevenastheguardsdrankwaterinfrontofhim.The
intervieweesalsosaidthatinsomeinstances,theshortageofpotable
waterwasusedasamechanismfortorture.
TortureandPunishment
Followinginitialgroupinterrogation,detaineesaresubjectedto
individualinterrogations,whichoftenincludetorture.Every
intervieweementionedthenameAbuAnas,animportantISISfigure
whovisitsprisonerspriortotheirrelease.AbuAnasisanIraqicitizen
andtheprinceoftheKhairstatewhichliesbetweenDeirAzzourin
SyriaandpartsofIraq.Accordingtotheinterviewees,AbuAnashasa
largebuild,sternposture,andharshattitude.Heasksthedetainees
abouttheirallegedcrimesandsupervisestheirtorture,sometimes
personallybeatinganydetaineeaccusedofcommittingacrimehe
doesnotlike.Heinflictstheworstpunishmentsonjournalistsand
membersoftheFSAorAlNusraFront.Intervieweesreportedhearing
AbuAnasorderhismentokillordetainanyFSAmembertheycame
across,andinthedetentioncenters,sickorwoundedFSAmembers
arenotallowedtreatmentuntilAbuAnashasleftthefacility.

TortureunderISIStakesmanyforms.ISISsprimarytorturetactic,
accordingtotheinterviewees,istheAkrabKnotwherebotharms
aretwisteduntiltheyaredislocatedattheshoulder,allowingthe
guardstotiebotharmstogetherinthebackbyametalchain.The
AkrabKnotisalmostalwaysusedinconjunctionwithanadditional
tactic.Mostcommonly,aftertheprisonersarmsaretied,theguards
hanghimsothathistoesbarelytouchtheground.Theguardthen
beginsbeatingthedetaineeuntilhestartstoconfesstohisalleged
crimes.OncethedetaineesconfessionmatchesISISsaccusations,
theprisonerisuntiedandloweredbacktothegroundandtheISIS
guardcontinueswiththeinterrogation.Theintervieweesloseall
feelingintheirarmsevenaftertheyarereleasedduetothe
excruciatingpainoftorture.
Prisonersaccusedofminorcrimes,likesmoking,arerarelytortured
butcouldbeexposedtoverbalabuse.
TheProcessforRelease
TheSJACintervieweesdidnotrecountastandardizedrelease
procedure.Mostoftheintervieweesattestedthatpriortoreleasing
prisoners,anapprovalfromtheISISEmirinchargeofthatregionhas
tobereceived.Oneintervieweeaccusedofamajorcrimereportedthat
hehadbeendroppedoffonthesideoftheroadinIraqwithnomoney
andhadtofigureoutawaytogethometoSyriaonhisown.One
formerdetaineesaidhewasthrownoutofthepickuptruckwhiletied
andblindfoldedandhadtowaituntilsomeonecamealongtountie
him.

Amidstchaos,ISISappearstobeconductingefficientarrestand
detentionoperations.Detentionsarearbitraryintermsofsubstance
becausedetaineescanbedetainedwithoutreasonandareguiltyby
accusation.However,intervieweedescriptionsofdetention
experiencesindicatethatISIShasdevelopedsystematicprocedures
thathaverelativelystandardizedthedetentionprocessitself.
IntervieweesuniformlyreportedcollectivearrestbyalargeISIS
entourage.Additionally,descriptionsoftheinterrogationprocess,
detentionfacilitylocations,anddivisionofrolesamongISISmembers
indicateuniformplanningandorganization.EventhoughISISis
underattackfrommultiplefronts,itshighadaptabilityisborneoutby
detentionproceduresthatareresponsivetochangingbattlefield
conditionswhileremaininginternallyconsistent.
FormoreinformationandtoprovidefeedbackpleaseemailSJAC
atinfo@syriaaccountability.org.